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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · bay · stock · tear · rock · present · fall · lean

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stock — goods
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rock — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lean — to bend
  14. present — the time now
  15. stock — shares
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tear — to rip
  19. present — there
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — the season
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. lean — thin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com